Things to do

Most popular and pretty as a picture is Camp Helen State. One of the largest coastal dune lakes in Florida, it’s a beautiful spot for beachcombing, fishing, swimming, walking or simply chilling. It’s a great place for glimpsing dolphins or sea turtles as well as bird-watching. The 180-acre park is only open during the day though.

For watersports and activities, you need to head to the Grand Lagoon. You can sign up for dolphin tours, sunset cruises, snorkel trips or fishing trips, or simply chill on the glorious beaches and admire your beautiful surroundings. The Lower Grand Lagoon is fabulous at night with lively bars with beach views.

For some of the best-preserved dunes in the world, make a trip to St Andrews State Park. This is an excellent place for snorkeling as well as practicing other watersports. There’s even a kiddie pool lagoon with clear and shallow water. Photographers and nature lovers should keep an eye out for some pretty rare Florida birds and wildlife. You may spot the elusive Choctawhatchee beach mouse in the dunes or sea turtles nesting on the beach as well as some pretty shorebirds.

While at St Andrews, get the boat over to the unspoilt Shell Island – it feels like those tropical islands you see in the movies. Shell Island, nestled between the gulf and St Andrew Bay, boasts seven miles of natural paradise. Look out for shorebirds, deer, sea turtles and the pod of bottlenose dolphins who live around the island.

If you’re bringing the little ones, they can let off steam with a round of mini-golf at Goofy Golf or scream with excitement on the amusement rides at Swampy Jacks. Most families spend a few hours at WonderWorks amusement park with 29,00 square feet of hands-on exhibits and exciting features.

If you want a break from the beach, you’ll love the chance to see wild and exotic animals up close at ZooWorld Zoological Park. Meet baby kangaroos, lemurs, bearded dragons, porcupines, bat-eared foxes, alligators, lions and more. Ever wanted to pet a sloth? Here you can!

For a more grown-up experience, we can’t recommend the Florida wines at the Panama City Beach Winery highly enough. They’re made with 100% real fruit and you can grab a wine slush to take to the beach. The watermelon slush is particularly more-ish.

We’ve already recommended Pier Park but there are plenty of other super places to go out at night. A snack and a drink at one of the beach bars is a must. Or enjoy live music or grab the mic during a karaoke night at Ms. Newby’s. Personally, we love to stroll the streets and pop into any bar which sounds lively – or has a cool name

There are loads of fab dining spots in Panama City too. In summer at sundown, pick one with a lovely terrace. Check out the menus to see what takes your fancy. What should you eat? Seafood gumbo and crabs should be top of your menu.

Book your Florida vacation with us and you won’t have far too walk to the beach or after a night out. We have a four bedroom house with a great pool just blocks from the beach.   

You can get your kicks on Route 66. Springfield is recognized as the birthplace of the famous Route 66, which originally ran all the way from downtown Chicago to California.